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The
central theme of the Bible is God's love for you and for all people.
This love was revealed when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the
world as a human being, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and
rose from the dead. Because Christ died, your sins can be forgiven, and
because He conquered death you can have eternal life. You can know for
sure what will become of you after you die.
You have probably heard the story of God's love referred to as the
"Gospel." The word Gospel simply means "Good News." The Gospel is the
Good News that, because of what Christ has done, we can be forgiven and
can live forever.
But this gift of forgiveness and eternal life cannot be yours unless you
willingly accept it. God requires an individual response from you. The
following verses from the Bible show God's part and yours in this
process:
God's
Love Is Revealed in the Bible
"For God so loved the world that
he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life." —John 3:16 (NIV)
God loves you. He wants to bless your life and make it full and
complete. And He wants to give you a life which will last forever, even
after you experience physical death.
We
Are Sinful
"For all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God." —Romans 3:23 (NIV)
You may have heard someone say, "I'm only human—nobody's perfect." This
Bible verse says the same thing: We are all sinners. We all do things
that we know are wrong. And that's why we feel estranged from
God—because God is holy and good, and we are not.
Sin
Has a Penalty
"For the wages of sin is death."
—Romans 6:23 (NIV)
Just as criminals must pay the penalty for their crimes, sinners must
pay the penalty for their sins. If you continue to sin, you will pay the
penalty of spiritual death: You will not only die physically; you will
also be separated from our holy God for all eternity. The Bible teaches
that those who choose to remain separated from God will spend eternity
in a place called hell.
Christ
Has Paid Our Penalty!
"But God demonstrates his own love
for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
—Romans 5:8 (NIV)
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, has paid
the penalty for all your sins. You may think you have to lead a good
life and do good deeds before God will love you. But the Bible says that
Christ loved you enough to die for you, even when you were rebelling
against Him.
Salvation Is a Free Gift
"For it is by grace you have been
saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of
God—not by works, so that no one can boast." —Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
The word grace means "undeserved favour." It means God is offering you
something you could never provide for yourself: forgiveness of sins and
eternal life, God's gift to you is free. You do not have to work for a
gift. All you have to do is joyfully receive it, Believe with all your
heart that Jesus Christ died for you!
Christ Is at Your Heart's Door
"Here I am! I stand at the door
and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in
and eat with him, and he with me." —Revelation 3:20 (NIV)
Jesus Christ wants to have a personal relationship with you. Picture, if
you will, Jesus Christ standing at the door of your heart (the door of
your emotions, intellect and will). Invite Him in; He is waiting for you
to receive Him into your heart and life.
You
Must Receive Him
"Yet to all who received him, to
those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God." —John 1:12 (NIV)
When you receive Christ into your heart you become a child of God, and
have the privilege of talking to Him in prayer at any time about
anything. The Christian life is a personal relationship to God through
Jesus Christ. And best of all, it is a relationship that will last for
all eternity. |
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Christians are not perfect people. Christians are people who recognize
they have many shortcomings, or sins, and who trust in Jesus Christ
alone to forgive them. A Christian believes Jesus died on a cross to
save us from the penalty of our sins and that he rose from the grave to
provide us eternal life. If you would like to put your faith in Jesus
Christ as your Savior, the following prayer can be your guide:
Lord Jesus, I admit that I have
sinned and have become separated from you. I believe that you died for
my sins, so now I choose to trust you to save me and give me eternal
life. I commit my life to you. Thank you. Amen.
Once you’ve placed your faith in Jesus, you’ve made the most important
decision of your life! We encourage you to find a church to belong to so
that you can grow in your faith.
If you
are making this commitment to Christ today, we would love to hear from
you. |
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